Scores of Los Angeles residents returned Tuesday to wildfire-ravaged Pacific Palisades after officials began letting people drive back into the scorched community, the first opportunity most have had to carefully scour the sites of their former homes.
Sifting through the ash and rubble, they marveled at what survived: everything from cherished keepsakes to mundane items of daily life that were now imbued with new meaning.
“It’s nice to find those little things that, you know, at one point didn’t mean so much,” said Jack Hassett, 22, who was digging through the ruins. “Plates are plates. But now they’re, you know, a memory to sort of look back on. … It’s such a scary thing to see all this, but it’s really sort of beautiful in a way.”
Firefighters were close to nearly having the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire fully to the east surrounded after the first significant storm of the season dosed a region that had been bone-dry for eight months. Both ignited Jan. 7 during powerful Santa Ana winds. The Palisades Fire, the largest of the blazes, destroyed more than 6,800 structures and killed at least 12 people.
A massive line of vehicles snaked along the Pacific Coast Highway in the morning to a Santa Monica parking lot where officials distributed permits to drive into the burn zone before nightfall — a curfew was still in effect to guard against looting. Before this week people were allowed to go to a only select few areas with a police escort.
The sun was out as hundreds drove into Pacific Palisades, a coastal hillside community, once dotted with mansions with spectacular views of the ocean and downtown Los Angeles. Block after block was reduced to gray and black debris.
Many wore protective gear, heeding health warnings about toxic ash that is a mix of incinerated cars, electronics, batteries, building materials, paints, furniture and other household items.
Standing at the remains of his 93-year-old mother’s home, where he grew up, Tim Bearer, surveyed the stunning scene. He said his stepbrother made it past the police barrier days after the fire and took video of the destroyed home with his phone, so he knew what to expect.
But it was still emotional to mine the site for family treasures. Amazingly his mother’s golf putter was bent but otherwise OK. Under more ash was a porcelain heart with the words, “I love you mom” — a gift from his sister; Bearer planned to return it to his mother, who was at a friend’s house in Santa Monica.
“My mom will just lose it when I show her,” he said.
Last week Los Angeles city and county officials expedited cleanup efforts and other measures aimed at mitigating the environmental impacts of fire-related pollutants, and the White House said President Donald Trump had directed federal officials to help local authorities.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has designated federally owned parkland east of Los Angeles as a temporary storage site for hazardous materials, though several local officials have voiced concern that Lario Park in the San Gabriel Valley could become a permanent toxic dumping ground.
“While I recognize the importance of addressing the aftermath of the fire and ensuring proper disposal of hazardous waste, this federal project has not included consultation or consideration of the local communities that will be directly affected,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis said Monday in a statement.
Solis and others worry that dangerous materials could contaminate the air or seep into groundwater used by hundreds of thousands of people.
The EPA said it would conduct regular air monitoring, take frequent soil samples, use water trucks to control dust and transport waste out of the area daily. The materials will be transported on surface streets, not freeways, so trucks can travel at a slower and safer speed, the EPA’s Celese McCoy told the county Board of Supervisors at their regular meeting Tuesday. She said the site would likely be used less than six months, and additional areas are being considered.
“We are very experienced in doing this,” McCoy said. “We protect the environment. We protect public health.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also announced an initiative with business leaders and elected officials to help support wildfire recovery and rebuilding in Los Angeles.
The Mark Walter Family Foundation and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation committed to providing up to $100 million to the effort, the governor said at a news conference at Dodger Stadium. And NBA legend Magic Johnson said he will lead the effort to rebuild Altadena, which has been a haven for generations of Black families avoiding discriminatory housing practices elsewhere.
“We can’t lose hope,” Newsom said, while urging fire victims to seek support from the philanthropic effort, LA Rises. “It is possible that we can come back more climate resilient, come back stronger.”
In Pacific Palisades, Hassett’s sister put up a sign thanking their neighbors that echoed that sentiment: “We can rebuild this beautiful town together.”
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Associated Press journalists Jae Hong in Santa Monica, Tran Nguyen in Sacramento, Julie Watson in San Diego and Amy Taxin in Orange County contributed.
Scores of Los Angeles residents have returned to the wildfire-ravaged Pacific Palisades neighborhood after officials began letting people drive back into the scorched community.
LOS ANGELES – Jack Hassett was among scores of residents slowly returning on Tuesday to Los Angeles neighborhoods ravaged by wildfires to finally sift through the rubble and salvage any cherished items.
Hassett didn’t find much in the ash at his family’s Pacific Palisades house, uncovering only some pottery and assorted kitchenware.
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“It’s nice to find those little things that, you know, at one point didn’t mean so much,” said Hassett, 22. “Plates are plates. But now they’re, you know, a memory to sort of look back on … It’s such a scary thing to see all this, but it’s really sort of beautiful in a way.”
People anxious to see what had become of their properties after the Palisades Fire ignited three weeks ago waited in their cars for hours for permission to return after officials lifted the last remaining evacuation orders.
A line of vehicles snaked along the Pacific Coast Highway as motorists inched into a beachside parking lot in Santa Monica, where they had to show ID to receive a permit that allowed them to drive into the burn zone. They have to be out of the area by nightfall because a curfew remains in effect.
Officials began letting residents of select areas return starting last week, but only with a police escort. On Monday afternoon, the city lifted all remaining evacuation orders and dropped the escort requirement.
The sun was out Tuesday after the first significant storm of the season brought rain that helped fire crews but loosened scorched hillsides and caused ash and mud to flow across streets. Firefighters were close to full containment of the Palisades Fire and the nearby Eaton Fire, which also ignited Jan. 7 during powerful Santa Ana winds.
Returning residents were urged to wear protective gear. Health officials have warned that neighborhoods are filled with toxic ash that’s a mix of incinerated cars, electronics, batteries, building materials, paints, furniture and other household items. It contains pesticides, asbestos, plastics and lead.
Los Angeles city and county officials last week expedited cleanup efforts and other measures aimed at mitigating the environmental impacts of fire-related pollutants, and a White House statement said President Donald Trump had directed federal officials to help local authorities.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has designated federally-owned parkland east of Los Angeles as a temporary storage site for hazardous materials left by the fires.
However, local elected officials are opposed to the choice of the site, expressing concerns that Lario Park in the San Gabriel Valley could become a permanent toxic dumping ground.
“While I recognize the importance of addressing the aftermath of the fire and ensuring proper disposal of hazardous waste, this federal project has not included consultation or consideration of the local communities that will be directly affected,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis said in a statement Monday.
Solis and others worry residents could be at risk if dangerous materials contaminate the air or seep into the groundwater used by hundreds of thousands of people.
The EPA said it would conduct regular air monitoring, take frequent soil samples, bring in water trucks to control dust and transport waste out of the area daily. The materials will be brought to the site through surface streets, not freeways, so vehicles carrying them can travel at a slower and safer speed, the EPA’s Celese McCoy told the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
“We are very experienced in doing this,” McCoy said during Tuesday’s regular supervisors meeting. “This is what we do. We protect the environment. We protect public health.”
McCoy could not immediately say how long the Lario site would be used, but she expected it would be less than six months. She said the agency is also seeking additional staging areas.
Hassett said his family was anxious but not impatient about being let back into the Pacific Palisades. They had toured their burned neighborhood once before in the days after the fire roared through, but were happy to wait for the all clear.
“Making sure that it’s safe for everybody to come in, and letting the firefighters and the EPA and everybody else do their jobs, is always the most important thing,” he said.
Hassett’s sister put up a sign thanking their neighbors. “We can rebuild this beautiful town together,” it said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced a new initiative with business leaders and elected officials to help support wildfire recovery and rebuilding in Los Angeles.
The Mark Walter Family Foundation and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation committed to providing up to $100 million to the effort, the governor said at a press conference at Dodger Stadium. NBA legend Magic Johnson said he’ll lead the effort to rebuild Altadena, a haven for generations of Black families avoiding discriminatory housing practices elsewhere.
“We can’t lose hope,” Newsom said while urging victims of the fires to seek support from the new philanthropic effort, known as LA Rises. “It is possible that we can come back more climate resilient, come back stronger.”
The Palisades Fire, the largest of the region’s blazes, had reached 95% containment on Tuesday after destroying more than 6,800 structures and killing at least 12 people. The Eaton Fire, which broke out near Altadena and has killed at least 17 people, was 99% contained.
The Hughes Fire, which ignited north of Los Angeles last week and caused evacuation orders or warnings for more than 50,000 people, was nearly contained.
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Associated Press journalists Jae Hong in Santa Monica, California, Tran Nguyen in Sacramento, and Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, contributed to this report.